Abstract:

The hydrolysis conditions of type II collagen from chicken sternal cartilage were optimized to obtain increased
degree of hydrolysis (DH). Based on the optimal hydrolysis parameters, enzymatic hydrolysates with different DHs were
prepared, and then lymphocyte proliferation test was utilized to evaluate their immunological activity. The results showed that
neutral protease was the most suitable enzyme for hydrolyzing type II collagen and the optimal hydrolysis conditions were
hydrolysis temperature of 50 ℃, hydrolysis pH of 7.5, collagen concentration of 25 mg/mL, enzyme dosage of 40 U/mg,
and hydrolysis time of 150 min. The hydrolysates with a DH of 18% could result in proliferation of lymphocytes by up to
58.69%, and the maximal proliferative activity of lymphocytes was found at a concentration of 1 mg/mL. The molecular
weight distribution of collagen hydrolysates with higher immunological activity was 1 000–180 D (accounting for 75.21%
of the total hydrolysates).

Key words: type II collagen, immunologically active peptide, neutral protease, lymphocyte proliferation